Does anyone know about or have info on this board?
Which board?
I know this board looks like one of Whitey’s. It is very simular to the redwood and balsa boards produced by Pacific Homes in the day.
I’ve tried to get Greg Noll’s input as he did some work for the old PV boys (Art of the surfboard) with no responce.
This board exists because I found it in the backyard of my Hawaiian friend and bought it from his pop. I was twelve years old (1963). In 2006, I restored it (seeing I finally had the skills). It has no fin but a big vee (by the way the plywood is molded perfectly into the vee). This board was not a canditate for the “hot curl” cut downs as it’s hollow.
I’ve done as much reseach as I could, They called it “sliding ass” on this style of board. There is a story about Nose Hema and a hollow Sears and Robuck board, however I can’t find any thing that Sears sold them around 1920-1930’s, Got some info on plywood being used because of balsa shortages (war years?) Lastly I know Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison made a select few at his place. I’m a foam generation guy and I’m hoping via this forum to gain some knowledge on this honey.
Great looking board. Nice save.
What is written on the deck? Is that original? Close up pic of that, please?
Contact Whitey’s grandson “the Fly” 949-280-3982. Hardly anyone left that knows about these first hand.
You have to realize that there were no real commercial board builders, later the Gomes brothers, but before that they were all one offs, so finding 2 exactly alike is slim. It would be a while before Pacific Homes started a production line of surfboards. Mechanics Illustrated had plans for a duplicate of PH later on
I’m unsure of the age of this board. It is very well made and the template is close to the “Swastika”
By “original”, I meant…was it on the board when you found it, or was that added afterward?
It is very different from the typical kook box/cigar box boards from way back. Those were usually long and narrow, comparitively speaking.
If you hit total dead ends in trying research this, you might try Dick Metz or Andy Andersen at the Surfing Heritage Foundation.
If you’re in SoCal, you might be able to bring it to them for a first hand assessment.
Andersen’s email is snbeditor@surfingheritage.org
Try contacting George Downing. George knew all the guys who surfed in Waikiki from the time he started surfing in the 30’s or 40’s.
Keone is John in Hawaii. The board could have been one of John Kelly’s boards. He was around when they were using hollow wood boards, he was one of the first to cut them down. George knew Kelly pretty well, so he would know if it was Kelly’s board.
Thanks and much aloha to all the souls that helped me. Mahalo Nui
The plywood in that board is rotory cut douglas fir . Redwood plywood was not manufactured untill 1964. If you know the thickness and number of plys in the plywood you could get a better idea of when the plywood was manufactured . It was common in the 1940 through the 1960 in california and Hawaii ) to make cabinets from redwood for the frames and doug fir plywood for door panels and backs. The plywood was stained with general cherry stain which matched perfectly with the redwood. Plywood before WW 2 was mostly 3/8 inch thick 3 ply douglas fir . There were no sizing standards untill 1940.